


Kaput

by lcdsra



Series: LCDSRA's A-Z Soulmate Prompts [11]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:14:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26606587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lcdsra/pseuds/lcdsra
Summary: /kəˈpo͝ot,käˈpo͝ot/adjective1. broken and useless; no longer working or effective.Or: How Saga was good, then bad, then good again.
Relationships: Saga/Veda
Series: LCDSRA's A-Z Soulmate Prompts [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1935553





	Kaput

**Author's Note:**

> This story is told in three parts out of order. If you're confused, pay attention to how Saga refers to herself.
> 
> AU: You are born with a series of numbers on your body, unique to you and one other person.
> 
> Character(s): Shard/Saga, Veda, Roksana, Dust/Primavera  
> Relationship(s): Saga/Veda  
> Warning(s): Graphic gore, human experiments, suicidal thoughts, implied dehumanization, homophobia mention, torture mention

Saga Lyles never wanted to become Moon Shard, the assassin.

At least, she didn’t think she did.

When she was hauled into her soulmate’s current employer’s headquarters, that’s what she said. Veda (Veda, Veda, _Veda_ ) already confirmed with her bosses that she had disappeared 19 years ago.

“Do you remember being a teenager?” Lyles had questioned when they asked why. “I do. I remember being very tired and helpless.”

“That does not excuse your actions.” Her interrogator had replied.

She tilted her head. “You see, I think you do know how gullible teenagers are, you just don’t want to admit that you aren’t any better than them.”

Lyles told them that MOON had coerced her into joining their cause, and once they had her in their grasps, they experimented on her without her consent. She told them that the majority of her time as Moon Shard was in a haze with dull emotions and moments of blank memories.

She told them tales about a little girl who lost her childhood, who had killed a man before she kissed one.

Lyles listed, in the most excruciating detail she could, the experiments that were done on the two of them.

“Tell me,” she had started. “Do you know what it’s like to be boiled alive from the inside out?”

Their scientists were good, but they were not perfect. Sometimes they ran out of anesthesia, or they injected a too high dosage of something or other. Most times, they just didn’t care.

“Do you know what it’s like to be forced to stay awake for 72 hours on end?” Lyles had continued casually, picking at a spot on the table. “You hallucinate. You hear things, see things, feel things that no one can see. Do you know what it’s like to be in pain for all of those hours?”

Her interrogator cleared his throat. “Please answer my question, Miss Lyles.”

“I wanted to tear the skin off of my body.” She ignored him. “I wanted to claw my throat out and drown in my blood.” She leaned forward and laced her fingers together. “But I couldn’t do that, no matter how much I screamed, because my wrists were tied down. Do you know what that’s like, to be that helpless?”

They were not all lies, what she told them. She told them about Moon Dust. The little girl who wasn’t so little anymore, who didn't even exist. Her interrogators hung onto her every word about the girl, even the mundane and simple ones. If Shard was a legend, Dust was a myth.

However, if they asked about dates or places in time, she didn’t have an answer for them. Last she knew, Moon Dust turned 18. However, after the mental scrambling her handler Crescent ordered, she was hardly reliable for keeping track of time.

Veda dropped in often, sometimes with others, sometimes without. While Lyles kept her eyes forward or at her active interrogator, Veda only stared at her. Eventually, they were alone, and Veda took a seat across from her. She was present when Lyles had talked about Dust, about her potential for harm. “You need to find her,” she had said, after finally meeting her eyes. “Moon Dust was taught how to poison entire towns with naturally occurring items.”

“We will find her.” Veda had said sternly. “And we will punish her.”

: : :

Saga was born with the Number 93210360 on her ankle.

The universe was strange sometimes, and the biggest mystery was the Numbers that most everyone was born with. The topic was hotly debated, and ideological groups had gone to war over them in the past.

What most people acknowledged, though, was that the Number rarely repeated itself.

Supposedly, only one other human in the entire world who had lived and died had the same series of Numbers.

Some called it Fate. Others called it a hoax.

Saga did not care for the fervor around Numbers, but she did care for her own.

She had it memorized by the time she was 5 and could repeat the sequence forwards and backward by 11.

She was not looking for the other person who supposedly had the same series of Numbers, admittedly.

But Fate worked in weird ways sometimes.

: : :

Moon Shard awoke to the low hum of electricity. She kept her eyes closed, and her breathing steady as she studied her surroundings as best she could.

The hum of electricity was a telling sign that something was off. Not necessarily wrong, Shard had learned over the years that her awakening would be far more violent if something was.

Regardless, she kept her room dark, so either someone had entered her bedroom without her noticing (unlikely), or she was somewhere else.

Moon Shard heard, beneath the electric current, a faint, muffled voice. A few moments passed, and a simple click followed.

The Labs, then. Various caretakers often made audio logs, and though Shard could never hear what they said, the click was very telling.

There was no warmth next to her, so she suspected Moon Dust was not with her. Sometimes their handler had them together, for what purpose she never knew.

But not now. Just cold, unyielding metal and plastic to keep Shard company.

She also felt the familiar lightweight of a medical dressing gown. She did not fall asleep in one, but that was awfully normal.

There was a bitter taste in her mouth. She always woke up with that specific taste after medical checkups were done.

Study complete, Shard opened her eyes.

: : :

Lyles suspected that the Commanders that worked under Veda didn’t really know what to do with her.

She was still a theoretical threat, even without a traditional weapon to aid her, but her information was valuable, and Veda still cared for her. And the doctors said she needed a better environment if she had any hopes of recovery, which put staying in solitary confinement forever out of the question.

Veda had told her three commanders ran the branch she would most likely join. One was young, probably not old enough to drink, and Veda refused to give up their name. The other was Kirin Reyes, who almost became a person on her kill list, but escaped with most of herself intact.

She had only met the oldest one. And he did not like her.

Nevertheless, Lyles smiled politely when Raimond Collins accused her of many things, ranging from a psychopath to a liar to a murderer. While he helplessly spat words at her, she slowly listed to herself all the agents she killed that were from Elemental Air.

Sonnie Brady. Jorgie Marsh. Leona Wu. Peter Atkins. And so on.

She barely got through half her remembered list when Veda tugged on her arm and led her away.

She couldn’t resist, only follow as her wrists were still in heavy cuffs. The metal was thick and seemed more akin to weights.

“That was pleasant.” She commented once Raimond’s office was out of sight.

“Don’t mind him. You’ll be released soon.” Veda assured her.

Lyles raised a brow. “I’ve only been in that cell for three months. I think I can handle more than that.”

“You shouldn’t have to.”

“I’m used to it.”

Veda took her sweet time replying. Lyles debated on returning to the names, when she asked, “Are your Numbers still there?”

The answer was no. Numbers were easy ways to identify people, even if they were in subtle places like ankles or necks. Since she had already met her soulmate, MOON saw it fit to burn them away.

She did not reply, and they continued their walk in silence. Lyles thought that was answer enough.

: : :

“Veda, you’re with Saga.” Their social studies teacher listed off. Saga glanced around the room and met the girl known as Veda’s eyes.

The rest of the class were paired up, and eventually, their teacher allowed everyone to shuffle around, and the room was filled with quiet murmurs of greetings, or muffled laughter of friends.

“Hi, I’m Veda.” The girl opposite greeted. Her knuckles were scraped like she had punched someone.

“I’m Saga, it’s nice to meet you.” She replied, smiling as sweetly as she could. The group project was necessary for their grade, and she wasn’t keen on making this girl hate her.

Many people in school did seem to hate her, but they never hated her enough to prank her. But they didn’t like her.

She noticed Avery had sighed and grimaced when he was told to sit next to her in math. Jessie needed help with her biology homework, but refused Saga’s offers.

Which was fine. Saga never bothered much with students her age anyway.

“Are you okay?” Veda asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Saga blinked and noticed she must have drifted off. Another reason people tended to steer clear of her. “Yes.” She replied. “Are you ready to get started?”

: : :

“Subject CrM-MSh-04.” The lead scientist greeted her when she opened the door.

Shard didn’t reply, merely tracked the woman with her eyes. She took only a few seconds to glance around.

She was right about being in the Labs, and if Roksana was here, it meant either something was wrong or something was going to happen to her.

“Your monthly check up has been completed.” Roksana told her. “We’ve noticed an unusual spike of hormone activity in your body. Has anyone unauthorized touched your injections?”

Shard ran her tongue behind her teeth thoughtfully. The scientists rarely asked these things, they mostly just looked for themselves. However, someone had fiddled with her injection box. Shard didn’t recognize her, and couldn’t do much as she was strapped down to a table at the time.

“A woman.” Shard replied carefully. She shut her eyes to recall the image briefly. “Her ID said Parra.”

The scientist’s unsympathetic eyes scanned Shard’s face. “Interesting.” She slowly walked around the table Shard was currently laying on, and stood next to her. Her cold hands nudged her side, and Shard sat up.

Roksana moved out of view, and Shard could feel her touch the injection contraption. She never got to see it herself, but she could deduce from the smatterings of information she got from scientists that there was little visible.

The visible part was only for the people to refill her injections, while the actual work was done inside.

“Neutralizers.” The scientist muttered. “Broke it.”

Shard didn’t reply. Roksana continued to mutter to herself, before tapping her on the shoulder. Shard laid back down as the woman left the room.

It was easy to get lost in MOON’s programming, in the dehumanizing way all the staff made of them, how she never got the luxury of being referred to as ‘she.’

Shard lifted her left hand and touched her chest. Her heart thumped steadily beneath her palm, and it was a reminder that she was not a machine, despite what MOON insisted.

She was human, alive, and breathing.

Shard shut her eyes.

: : :

“Saga, how are you settling in your bedroom?”

To say her current living situation was a _bedroom_ was perhaps an overstatement. There was a single window with inch thick glass, and once she tapped it and was given a minor shock.

The rest of the room was an empty square, with only a light switch on the wall, and a door that led to a small bathroom.

“Saga?”

Lyles turned to face her old friend and ex-lover. “It’s somewhere to sleep.” She replied. “Call me Lyles, please.” She knew she had repeated herself before this moment, but Saga just didn’t feel right. Not now.

Veda’s expression was pained for a second before it was smoothed over to blank neutrality. “Yes, well, Raimond authorized you to start searching for Moon Dust.”

Lyles raised both brows slowly. “Is that so.” Now she was interested. After 5 months of what amounted to imprisonment, she was thrilled to hear the news.

However, there was most likely a catch. Lyles wasn’t trusted to eat alone, much less go outside, so her ability to move would be restricted. Her search would most likely be slowed down by guards or other agents who insisted they knew her former colleague better than her.

“Yes.” Veda nodded. “But STARS wants to take precautions. I know you have issues with medical, but if you want out, you’ll have to undergo them.”

Her injection site ached. “What kind of procedures?”

“I can’t tell you the details.” Veda replied. “The doctors will explain what they can, though.”

Lyles stood up slowly. “What are my resources?”

“Anything that you’d be willing to do the paperwork for. If you behave, STARS will gladly recruit you.”

“What use do you have for an ex-assassin?”

“You’re a very attractive ex-assassin.”

Lyles glared harshly. “No, Veda.”

The other woman put her hands up in surrender. “I’m sorry. That was pushing it. But sincerely, you know Moon Dust better than anyone else. If you can find her and get her to explain what happened to her, you’ll have another chance at life.”

“Do I deserve that?” Saga asked, tilted her head. She already knew the answer herself, but did Veda? Did Veda forgive her for the attempted suicide, for leaving? She approached the door that separated them. “Do you think I deserve another chance?”

“The fact that you asked means that you do.”

: : :

“So, what exactly are we doing?” Veda asked. They were at the library, various books scattered around them.

Saga wanted to roll her eyes but smiled instead. “We’re making a timeline of a major historical event. Ours is the American Civil War.”

Veda practically melted against the table. Her hair slipped out of its tie and into her face. “This is so boring.”

“Well, lucky you, I don’t find it boring.” Saga replied, pulling the large textbook closer. Its pages were stained with what looked like coffee. “I think we’ll do fine.”

They did not get much done that day, only a rough idea of the points they’d touch on and the format of their presentation. But maybe more importantly than school work, Saga had actually wanted to spend more time with this other person.

Veda was a little quirky and mean but she made her smile and that was more than the hundreds of other students who avoided her like their lives depended on it did for her. Afterwards, they agreed to meet up the following day, and her parents agreed to let her go to Veda’s house.

“My older brother is home, but don’t worry about him.” Veda said, greeting her at the door.

They lived shockingly nearby, which meant Saga only had to walk. She brought the heavy books from the library. “I have two older sisters and a brother.”

“What’re their names?”

“Sophie, Stella, and Samuel.” Saga replied. “My parents like S names apparently.”

Veda actually laughed at her quip. A warm feeling blossomed in Saga’s chest. “Yeah, seems like it. My brother’s name is Pratham.”

Saga took off her socks and shoes at the door and slowly followed Veda to her room.

“Here’s my room!” Veda said excitedly like it had been a while since she showed it off. “I chose the colors.”

The colors in question were a beautiful, sunset orange on one wall, and tamer yellow, white and beige on the others. “I like it. It’s bright.”

“Mhmm,” Veda hummed in agreement. “I mean, we can go outside or to the dining room table if you want.”

Saga dropped the books on the carpet and sat down next to them. “This works.” She stretched out and twisted her limbs, her joints popping loudly. “Are you ready?”

Veda didn’t reply. Saga glanced up. The other girl’s expression was filled with curiosity and awe, but also something like fear. “Your ankle.”

Saga glanced down automatically. “That’s where my Numbers are. Why?”

The girl wrung her hands, then took off her socks and turned around.

Saga squinted at the Numbers. Her eyes widened as she scanned them and found the exact same number sequence as the one she memorized years ago. 93210360.

“Oh,”

“Yeah,”

They were quiet for a few seconds. Veda turned around and sat slowly, hooking her ankles together.

“What does that make us?” Veda asked quietly.

Saga tilted her head. “Soulmates.”

: : :

“Shard.”

She didn’t want to wake up. Her tongue was heavy in her mouth, her head felt foggy, and she knew something changed. Based on her last interaction with Roksana, her injections were altered.

“Wake up, we have a mission.” Dust’s voice was clearer, if still muffled.

“Dust,” she managed.

Shard could feel Dust hovering near her. “Get up.”

“Shut it.” Shard snarled. “Give me a second.”

“Crescent will punish us both if we don’t get out of here soon.”

“Let him.” Shard muttered. “I want to die.”

Dust sucked in a breath quietly. “What happened?”

“Injection changes. Roksana.”

Dust didn’t reply for a long time. She could hear shuffling of fabric and assumed Dust was getting changed. “Did she mention Parra?”

“No.” Shard replied, finally opening her eyes. “I did.” Dust was already dressed for the mission in a server uniform.

Dust swore. “Shard, Roksana will kill her. She’s the only one who even remotely cared about us.”

“No she didn’t.”

“She did. I saw it myself.” Dust insisted. “She came into my room a lot when I was first undergoing those changes. She injected something that nullified what they were doing, while faking the scans. She wanted me to be human.”

“Well she never did that to me.” Shard snarled. “Lucky you that someone even cared.”

“Don’t say that!” Dust hissed, livid. “I care.”

“Yeah, that’s the issue.”

It did not matter if someone in the same situation as she cared about her. They couldn’t change anything.

: : :

Lyles wanted to laugh. The eight agents assigned to her were bumbling fools who were terrified of her.

Good.

If she so much as glanced at the monitor, all of their hands moved to their weapons.

As if she couldn’t disarm them all in a heartbeat.

As if they could stop her.

Regardless, she needed to research. The computer she was given was heavily restricted, and she couldn’t even play the dinosaur game when the WiFi was off. The files she did have access to were hardly filled out, either, and she didn’t have access to edit them.

The first file she checked was titled ‘DustDossier,’ which was fitting. However, it barely had anything usable.

Lyles knew that Moon Dust was a mystery to the wider world, but STARS didn’t even have hair and eye color filled in. Even next to sex, there was a note that said Dust had been seen as male.

Which was true. Dust’s physical stature lent to appearing like a young boy before, which benefited her missions sometimes.

“Who wrote this dossier?” She wondered aloud.

The agents assigned to watch her glanced at each other nervously. “One of the commanders, miss.” One of the braver ones replied.

“Call me Lyles.” She flashed a smile.

They all flinched, and Lyles had to bite her lip to keep from grinning. It was almost silly how much fun she was having. She chalked it up to those months of solitary confinement and a better diet.

She shifted in her seat and clenched her jaw as multiple places in her body screamed in protest. Her body was still sore in certain places from her impromptu doctors visit, evidently.

She actually knew what they did, despite Veda’s insistence that it was a secret. They injected multiple tracking devices into her body somewhere, and two kill switches, one that sent a high powered volt of electricity to her heart, and the other that just exploded.

The day dragged on, and her guards were so tense it was a wonder they hadn’t snapped their jaws. Once the day ended, some dashed out of the room immediately, while others lingered, as if hesitant to leave her alone, though she was allowed to leave by herself.

Veda met her in the cafeteria when she entered. “How did your first day of work go?” Like they were a married couple that asked each other such simple things.

“Interesting.” Lyles replied.

“How are you like your colleagues?”

“Fine.”

Lyles was in no mood to talk, frankly, but Veda was persistent. “Any hits on Dust?”

“She’s like a ghost, just as MOON trained her to be.” She replied with a shrug. She picked out a sandwich from the buffet and fully intended to sit alone.

“You should make friends.” Veda commented, following her like a lost puppy.

She sat. “I’ve heard that friendships require cooperation.”

“You wouldn’t have been successful in MOON if not for cooperation.”

“Dust was desperate.” Lyles replied, taking a bite of her sandwich. The food was delicious, and it took all her self-restraint to not inhale it. “Willing to talk to anyone.”

Veda nodded across from her. “You’d be surprised.”

About what, Lyles wasn’t sure. Surprised about the amount of desperation in STARS? Or perhaps that people would be willing to overlook her murky past.

They continued their unspoken routine as the month marched on. Gradually, the agents babysitting her were reduced to just two, who appeared to be on a rotation. After she told Veda that she was struggling to know what exactly STARS knew about Dust, more files were unlocked.

After 31 days of pure research and writing several drafts of her ideas to track Dust, she went out for the first time.

: : :

They didn’t say anything to anyone for a long time.

Being soulmates was a big deal, according to her parents. To meet ones soulmate was life changing, and it was important to control who knew about it.

Not just for personal safety but also manipulation. Saga hadn’t known what they meant at that time.

Regardless, she wanted to shout it from the world, take pictures of their matching numbers, brag about someone that was undeniably hers.

But she refrained.

For one, they were both _girls_ , and even if soul marks had proven that love like that was natural, the prospect of the ramifications was terrifying.

She had heard stories of people being murdered over it. To her knowledge, her siblings had yet to meet theirs, and who knew how her parents would react?

For another point, they were middle schoolers. Though romance was not uncommon at their age, middle school was rather young to declare undying love. And kids were cruel, and Saga didn’t need another reason for her classmates to despise her.

But they didn’t ignore it when they were in private. Saga told her parents she made a friend, and they were thrilled to hear she got along with someone her age. They welcomed Veda with open arms and didn’t question it when they visited each other’s houses.

Their last year of middle school and that summer before high school was glorious. They agreed to go to the same high school, take the same classes.

They made promises like they’d run away together if their parents didn’t accept them. They would never leave each other, even in the worst of times. They’d fight for each other. Die for each other.

Oh, how naive they were.

: : :

Turns out, their mission was rather simple. Shard was only there to make sure people still thought she was doing the poisonings, while Dust stayed invisible and did the dirty work.

Shard was instructed to be pretty and smile and draw the eye. Her dress was an open back, which allowed the crescent moon tattoo at the base of her spine to be exposed. Dust was told to leave a card with a crescent moon, and all the blame would be placed on the persona known as Moon Shard.

It was easy. Well, one of the easier ones. Shard just had to act normal and play along with elitist people, then disappear at a particular time, just enough to arouse suspicion. Shard suspected that detectives were getting a little too close to the truth. This mission was to dispute any idea that Dust existed. It was a risky move that required flawless execution.

Shard glanced at her beautiful watch and murmured her excuses. They were purposefully flimsy and memorable. She disappeared in the direction of the kitchen, where Dust was carrying trays of food to people.

She didn’t actually know how Dust planned on poisoning their target but made a point to examine the food as they passed by her.

Then, Dust returned and slipped into a back room. Shard made sure to bump into a stacked pile of dishes, catching people’s attention. It was just obvious enough for the staff to note her appearance, but not enough for them to currently be suspicious of her. She left immediately after bumping into the dishes, leaving through a door with a standing guard. She made a sharp turn to avoid his gaze, and got into the car waiting for her. She wondered, listlessly, how Dust got away.

: : :

She didn’t expect tracking a serial murderer with serious issues to be luxurious, but she didn’t think she’d have to stoop as low as cheap roadside motels.

But here she was. There were police reports of a young child scavenging and stealing from people in the town nearby, and while that usually wouldn’t have been a big deal, Lyles recognized the pattern.

It was precisely how MOON taught them to steal. The victims claimed that they were lured by the sound of a child crying, then when they went to help them, the child pushed them over, making them drop whatever they were holding, and disappeared.

Granted, their methods of distraction were different, but Lyles remembered doing that exact same thing a few times in the past. So Dust was hopping from town to town, most likely by car based on her speed, stealing what she could, and when the heat started catching up, she’d disappear again.

There was a map on the table that she kept with her as more information on Dust surfaced. The places Moon Dust might have hit started in New York, but jumped to New Jersey and then to Pennsylvania, and the current town was near the border to Ohio.

Lyles had to admit, she was impressed.

It was raining. Hard, and for the entire day. If there was any time to catch Dust off guard, it was now.

“Tell STARS to have a helicopter ready to fly us back to HQ.” Lyles told the agent staying with her. The woman raised a brow. “I’m going out.”

“In this weather?”

“Yes.”

The look the agent gave her was expressive and telling. It was a reminder of the trackers, which were shown to stay active even with EMP interruptions.

If she dared run, they were both dead.

Lyles just smiled back and pushed away from the table. “Dust will be most vulnerable during the rain.” She didn’t bother explaining her reasoning. If tonight turned out to be a bust, that was fine. The agents with her were due for a rotation change.

But if it was successful, well, no one would dare question her again.

: : :

Saga died when she was 19. At least, that’s when she considered the death of her personal self.

She was angry and frustrated at her soulmate. Veda was getting clingy and possessive and refused to even entertain the idea of separation. Saga was feeling trapped and wanted out of that whole soulmates thing. She wanted to explore other people. She had been with Veda for the better part of her teenage years, of course she was tired.

She wasn’t sure what drove her to that alleyway. A woman had asked her what was wrong, and she was just so tired that she spilled her frustrations and desires to her.

The woman was kind and offered an out. This organization called MOON was used to dealing with overeager soulmates and had ways of making them stop.

If only she knew that way was turning her into a monster.

But Lyles didn’t really remember that.

: : :

Shard sat alone in her room, waiting for news of Dust’s return. She didn’t doubt the girl’s ability to take care of herself, only that it was taking a long time.

Or maybe Shard’s sense of time was scrambled from the injections. Her eyes were tired uncharacteristically, and a sense of drive to stay awake was leaving her.

She didn’t feel as much when she executed the plan. It was challenging, and they were flawless, so why wasn’t she satisfied?

Suddenly, her door opened, and one of the caretakers dropped an unconscious person into her room. They shut the door, enveloping her in darkness again.

“Dust, is that you?” Shard asked after a moment.

The lump on her floor shifted and let out a groan. “It’s me.” The words were muffled against the ground. Shard wondered, listlessly, if Dust could even move.

“What did they do?”

“Dosage of something.”

Shard was, instantly, grateful that she did not have to undergo the procedures Dust did. While she was trained in marksmanship and manners and how to be pretty, it was nothing to what Dust underwent.

MOON wanted to experiment with poison immunity and chose Dust because she was younger or something. Small victories.

Shard was never sure how to help Dust after a dosage. It was true that their mission was successful, but scientists didn’t care, only interested in making sure they had their respective injections on time.

“Sorry for being mean before this mission.”

It was so quiet Shard nearly missed it. “Me too. Do you,” she paused. “Do you need help?”

Dust’s breathing was ragged. “Talk to me.”

Shard blinked. “I met my soulmate.” The words flew out of her mouth. It was downright dangerous to even mention soulmates, yet it felt comfortable and familiar. “I have my numbers memorized.”

Dust didn’t reply.

She continued. “We were young when we met. I miss her, I think.”

“Why did you leave her?”

Her voice wasn’t accusatory like other people’s would be. Why would she leave her other half? People have spent millions of dollars trying to find their other half, desperate to find whoever had the same series of numbers as them.

But Dust was different, and maybe that’s why she kept talking. “She was overbearing. I was so tired of being with her.”

“How long were you together?”

“Six years.”

“Wow,”

Shard knew why, later, she was dragged away and strapped down to a medical table. She knew why, instead of being put under anesthesia like she would be for surgeries, she was kept awake.

She knew why, when they brought down the casting iron to the back of her ankle, they allowed her screams to echo through the halls.

Because she was not human. Because weapons didn’t have soulmates.

Because sometimes it needed a reminder.

**Author's Note:**

> Remembering [her] comes in flashbacks  
> And echoes  
> Tell myself it's time now  
> Gotta let go  
> But moving on from [her] is impossible  
> When I still see it all in my head  
> In burning red  
> Burning it was red
> 
> \- Red by Taylor Swift


End file.
